On October 3, Francis signed in Assisi his third encyclical, Fratelli tutti, on fraternity and social friendship. A few days earlier, on Sept. 30, he had published the apostolic letter "Scripturae Sacrae affectus," on the 16th centenary of the death of St. Jerome. And on October 15, from the classroom Magna of the Lateran University, the Pope issued a video message on the occasion of the meeting promoted and organized by the Congregation for Catholic Education "Global compact of education. Together we look beyond".

In this social encyclical, and following the method of pastoral discernment, Francis offers keys, criteria and guidelines for dreaming together and building together a new humanity, "as walkers of the same human flesh, as children of this same earth that shelters us all, each one with the richness of his faith or his convictions, each one with his own voice, all brothers and sisters" (n. 8).

Under the main inspiration of St. Francis of Assisi, and in a perspective that is both ethical and theological-pastoral, the Pope takes into account the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and what it highlighted: "a fragmentation that made it more difficult to solve the problems that affect us all" (n. 7).

It is not simply an aseptic description of reality, but the gaze of Christ's disciples (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 1), who wish to "seek a light in the midst of what we are living". A search open to dialogue and with the aim of "proposing lines of action" (n. 56).

The background of faith illuminates the picture with the reference letter and prayer God Creator and common father. "We believers think that, without an openness to the Father of all, there will be no solid and stable reasons for the call to fraternity. We are convinced that only with this awareness of children who are not orphans can we live in peace among ourselves" (n. 260). And he adduces the reason, pointed out by Benedict XVI, that "reason alone is capable of accepting equality among men and of establishing a civic coexistence among them, but it does not succeed in establishing brotherhood" (Caritas in veritate, 19).

This openness to the common Father is fully reinforced by Christian faith in divine filiation, which we the baptized proclaim as a concrete and operative horizon for advancing human solidarity. The Christian faith is presented here as capable of generating the spiritual forces that make what might seem to be only a utopia a reality: fraternity in all orders of reality, following the model of the Good Samaritan that Jesus presents.

As one of the keys to the reading of the document, one can consider the binomial that appears in the subtitle of the document: fraternity (and not a solidarity based only on the noble human bonds of friendship, but also on a transcendent dimension, which guarantees common human dignity, as an absolute value and prior to decisions and actions); and at the same time, social friendship (which must be opened and extended universally to all, precisely as a manifestation and path of fraternity).

From this dynamic connection between universal fraternity and social friendship, proposals arise to confront the issues that affect us. We cannot abandon them to mere self-interest or to the temptation of idleness of those who have their needs sufficiently solved. Priorities and means can and should be discussed. But we cannot neglect or hide the problems, nor can we change the goals that correspond both to society as a whole and to individual persons: the integral development , the common good, true human progress. (For a more detailed presentation , see www.revistapalabra.es, Fratelli-tutti: friendship-and-fraternity-dialogue-and-meeting).

"An esteem for the Sacred Scripture, a living and gentle love for the written Word of God," the Pope affirms, is the heritage of St. Jerome, the Pope states in the apostolic letter "Scripturae Sacrae affectus" (30-IX-2020).

In Bethlehem, where St. Jerome moved when he was 41 years old, he spent a large part of his life, dedicated, among others programs of study, to translating the Old Testament into Latin from the original Hebrew text (what is known as the "Vulgate" edition, because it became the common heritage even of the Christian people).

In contrast to certain strong tones found in some of his works, moved by love for the truth and his ardent defense of Christ, this saint emphasized in the Scriptures, in the words of Francis, "the humble character with which God revealed himself, expressing himself in the rough and almost primitive nature of the Hebrew language ". He showed the importance of the Old Testament, for "only in the light of the Old Testament 'figures' is it possible to fully understand the meaning of the event of Christ, fulfilled in his death and resurrection".

St. Jerome is a good teacher and guide for the study of the Sacred Scriptures, whose richness, the Pope observes, "is unfortunately ignored or minimized by many, because they have not been provided with the essential instructions of knowledge". This is why Francis desires that the biblical training of all Christians be promoted, so that each one can draw from it many fruits of wisdom, hope and life.

Thus Jerome exhorted his contemporaries: "Read the Divine Scriptures very often, or rather, never let the sacred text fall out of your hands" (Ep 60:10).

Addressing the current status of the Education in his video message of October 15, Francis also begins by making reference letter to the pandemic. To the health, economic and social difficulties he adds the difficulties in the field of Education (he speaks of an "educational catastrophe"), despite the benefits and efforts of Digital Communication.

To alleviate this status, it is necessary to go deeper and with realism. A whole new cultural model and development is required. "What is in crisis," the Pope acknowledges, "is our way of understanding reality and of relating to one another.

We cannot stand idly by without promoting for all a Education capable "of generating and showing new horizons, in which hospitality, intergenerational solidarity and the value of transcendence build a new culture". For Education is an effective way to humanize the world and history. And above all, "a question of love and responsibility".

Therefore - says Francis - "the Education is proposed as the natural antidote to the individualistic culture", without allowing our Schools of thought and imagination, of listening, dialogue and mutual understanding to be impoverished.

For this reason, a new commitment is needed educational to overcome injustices, violations of rights, great poverty and human exclusion. We need courage to generate processes precisely in the perspective of fraternity. Processes capable of "influencing the heart of a society and giving birth to a new culture". And for that, we should not expect that governments or institutions give us everything ready-made.

The Pope proposes seven criteria to advance in this global pact educational : the centrality of the person and the responsibility to transmit values and knowledge to children, adolescents and young people; the promotion of Education for girls and young women; placing the family as the first and indispensable educator; educating and educating ourselves to welcome those most in need; seeking another way of understanding Economics and politics, growth and progress; providing the means to safeguard and care for our common home.

For this renewed project educational , the reference letter of the social doctrine of the Church is offered as a light and impulse of beauty and hope.